Gunfire in Evergreen Park leads to arrest

March 27, 2009

Morning gunfire in Evergreen Park has led to the arrest of a 45-year-old man and the confiscation of a cache of weapons in his home, police said today.

Charges were pending against the man, whose house in the 3000 block of West 96th Place contained rifles, handguns, swords, a cross bow, and ammunition clips, according to police. Additional weapons were being found from locations discovered by dogs from the Illinois State Police canine unit and the Cook County bomb unit, police said. It is not clear where the additional weapons were found.

Evergreen Park police converged on the intersection of 96th Place and Albany Avenue at 5:52 a.m. in response to a "shots fired" complaint, according to a police news release.

After police searched the area and found nothing, a lone officer remained to write a report. At 6:41 a.m. the officer heard shots fired outside the home. As he ran toward the home, the attached garage's pedestrian door slammed shut.

Evergreen Park police surrounded the home, but the man allowed police to enter. They took the man into custody after a witness identified him as having been in the backyard with a rifle, police said.